Homilies
August 3, 2025
TOT XVIII [C] (Aug 3) Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21
Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is
the futility of the greedy acquisition of wealth and power
because everything and everyone is “here today and gone
tomorrow. “For the meaning of life cannot be found in
selfishly hoarding wealth and possessions, but only in
sharing these with the needy.
Why did Jesus say God called the rich man a
fool? Traditional Jewish good works included prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving. Blessed with an excellent harvest,
the rich landowner in Jesus’ parable did the opposite of
giving alms. Instead of thanking God and sharing with the
hungry, he planned to give himself over to a pagan orgy
– “eat, drink and be merry.” Jesus said God called him a
fool because:
He forgot God and failed to become “rich in what
matters to God.” He forgot the truth that God was the
real owner of all his possessions and blessings, and he
was only God’s steward or manager. Instead, he was
focused on himself and was selfish to the core
He forgot others in need: As God had been ousted from
his heart, that heart became narrow and constricted with
no space left for others in it. He also forgot that God had
given him everything he had – the land, the good growing
season and the excellent harvest – not for himself alone
but for all those around him who were in need.
He forgot that he was going to die and never saw
beyond this world. He forgot that he was going to die,
sooner or later. It was as he was planning to build new
barns and warehouses to store his wealth, that he heard
the words all creatures will hear one day from their Creator
Life messages: 1) We are invited to share our blessings
with others. The parable of the rich fool gives us a warning
as well as an invitation. It reminds us that our
possessions are merely lent to us by God, and that we are
accountable for their use. We must be generous in
sharing our time, our treasure, and our talents, the three
elements of Christian stewardship..
July 20, 2025
OT XVI [C] Gn 18:1-10a; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42
The central themes of today’s readings are the importance of hospitality in
Christian life and the necessity of listening to God before acting. The key
to the Christian life is setting priorities: Jesus Christ first, then everything
else. The only way really to learn that lesson is to spend some time every
day, “sitting at the feet of Jesus.”
Today’s Gospel passage describes how Martha, a genuine child of
Abraham, wanted to extend the traditional generous hospitality of her
people to Jesus, the true Messiah, by preparing an elaborate meal for him
(while her sister Mary spent her time in talking to Jesus and listening to
him). This story invites us to serve others with Martha’s diligence after
recharging our spiritual batteries every day by prayer – listening to God and
talking to God – as Mary did. We can minister truly to the needs of others
only after welcoming God’s Word into in our hearts and minds.
We need listening Marthas and serving Marys: Martha has become a
symbol of action-oriented, responsible people who get the job done. Our
world and our parish churches need such dynamic and generous men,
women, boys and girls. We need them to sing in the choir, to help in the
Church, to teach in the Sunday school, to visit the sick and the shut-ins and
to serve in all other ministries of the parish community.
We need to be good listeners, like Mary, at home and in the workplace.
Active and busy as we are, we must find time every day to listen to God,
to our spouse, kids, and neighbors. Listening and quiet caring are essential
for the success of married life, of family life and of the rearing of children
with love, affection, and a gentle, firm discipline. Human love begins at
home, and it begins with listening
T
July 13, 2025
HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C
HOMILY THEME: LOVE IS DEMONSTRATED BY DEEDS!
BY: Fr. Augustine Ikechukwu Opara!
Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37
Today we celebrate the God who is close to us both in His Word and in our neighbor. As the image of the unseen God, and as the Good Samaritan, Christ is close to us in all circumstances of life. So, the church urges us to acknowledge the presence of God both in his Word, and in our neighbor. There are many parables that are unique to the Gospel of Luke. The parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15:11-32), the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19-31), the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Lk 18:10-14) including the parable of the Good Samaritan we read in the gospel. To get the real message of Jesus in these unique parables of Luke we need to pay attention to the final twists to the stories.
The first reading is a beautiful compliment to this parable. Through Moses, God told Israel what they had been missing. They only need to carry out the commandments and everything will be in order. In the end, God said, “It is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you only have to carry it out.” The commands are easy to understand and very accessible. Unfortunately, the Israelites, and we can say even the people of succeeding generations up to our present time are just too hard-headed. Thus, the constant and repetitive sins through disobedience.
Fr. Nguyen tells an anecdote about a little girl who came to her father complaining that some local boys had made traps to catch birds and she was not happy about it. Her father asked, “So what did you do about it?” she said, “I prayed that the traps would not work.” The father asked, “And what else?” “And I prayed that the birds wouldn’t go into the traps.” Her father asked again, “But what have you done about it?” She confessed, “Well, when the boys weren’t looking, I kicked the traps to pieces.” This story reminds us that love needs action, not only prayers. As St James would say faith without action is as good as dead. (James 2:17).
The road from Jerusalem, its narrow passes and rocky terrain made it an easy place for bandits to wait for travelers. The traveler in this parable is identified only as “a certain man.” Luke uses this phrase in many of his parables so that the audience, Jew, or Gentile, could identify with the man. To many a Jew at the time of Jesus the character of the Samaritans was such that a Good Samaritan was a contradiction in terms. Jesus knew it and His parable has shocked all the Jews in his time because he told them to imitate the action of a Samaritan who was a gentile. So, the hated enemy is the compassionate neighbor in this parable. Jesus has demolished all boundary expectations. It is not social definitions such as class, religion, gender, or ethnicity that determine who is our neighbor. A neighbor is a person who acts with compassion toward another. The point becomes not who deserves to be loved as I love myself, but that I become a person who treats everyone with compassion.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, to be a Good Samaritan, we do not need to be rich, and charity is not about whom we can pick and choose to love, but it is about being willing to lend our hands, our feet, our energy, our time, and our resources to those in need. It could help the elderly to pick up their luggage at the airport; we may help a person to move into a new place; or we may sacrifice our free time to feed the hungry, to care for the sick or to be lonely, etc. To Jesus, Love is an act of kindness. Love does not end with words but expresses in actions. Love must begin in our family, in our church community and then to society. We would guard ourselves from all kinds of selfishness, personal pleasures and greed because they only make us turn away from love. Never forget love is demonstrated by deeds!